Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
United Evening News / Reporter Liu Kaiyuan / Taipei Report
March 21, 2012, 8:08 PM
8 Companies Including Taoyuan Chang Hsin Involved—EPA and Prosecutors Conduct 12 Raids
Following the lean meat powder and highly pathogenic avian flu incidents, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and law enforcement officers conducted 12 raids on March 19 at Taoyuan Chang Hsin Industrial Co. and its seven affiliated companies. They discovered heavy metals such as copper sulfate being mixed into feed for pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese. Authorities strongly suspect that livestock and poultry fed with heavy metal-contaminated feed may have already entered markets across Taiwan.
EPA Minister Shen Shih-hung stated this morning that Chang Hsin’s copper-containing waste liquid treatment plant and its affiliates currently process over 3,000 metric tons of waste copper liquid per month, accounting for 40% of Taiwan’s total waste copper sulfate liquid volume, making it the largest copper sulfate processor in the country. Prosecutors are investigating three key aspects: first, collaborating with the Council of Agriculture to determine how many pigs and chickens consumed heavy metals and their distribution channels.
Estimated Illegal Profits Exceed NT$100 Million
Additionally, authorities are working with the Industrial Development Bureau to track the disposal of copper sulfate and whether it was illegally exploited. The EPA is also investigating how long the company has used legal operations to mask illegal activities and the extent of illicit profits. Apart from criminal liability, the company will face confiscation of illegal gains. Shen Shih-hung noted that the exact penalty amount is still being calculated but is preliminarily estimated to range from tens of millions to over NT$100 million.
Shen stated that the EPA received a tip in December 2011, and after multiple communications with the whistleblower, further details were uncovered. On the morning of March 19, the EPA’s Environmental Inspection Corps and Northern Environmental Inspection Division mobilized 47 inspectors, alongside Taoyuan District Prosecutors, Criminal Investigation Brigade officers, and environmental police—totaling 144 personnel—to conduct simultaneous raids at 12 locations, including Chang Hsin’s headquarters, its copper waste liquid treatment plant, Luzhu Plant, Dayuan Plant, Dayuan Plant I, Chang Yuan Hsing Chemical Co.’s Hsinchu Plant, and Cheng Liang Resources Recycling Co., among seven affiliated companies.
The operation uncovered two cases of environmental crimes involving improper disposal of industrial waste, one violation of the Air Pollution Control Act, four violations of the Water Pollution Control Act, seven violations of the Waste Disposal Act, and one violation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act. A total of 52 samples were collected.
Shen emphasized that Chang Hsin and its affiliates failed to truthfully report production capacity as required by waste disposal laws. Some of the waste liquids received were illegally transferred to unlicensed processors or dumped into the environment by transport vehicles, posing environmental hazards. These actions violate administrative criminal penalties, and the company will face heavy fines for illicit gains.
Farmers Report: Chickens Acted Strangely After Eating Feed
Farmers near Taoyuan’s Luzhu Township noticed abnormal behavior in their chickens after consuming feed late last year. Anonymous whistleblowers also reported unscrupulous businesses selling industrial-grade copper sulfate—used in dyes and printing inks—to feed manufacturers, who mixed it into animal feed for illegal profits.
News Glossary / Copper Sulfate
Copper sulfate, chemical formula CuSO4, appears as a white powder or pale gray-green due to impurities. It is a soluble copper salt, commonly found in crystalline form as pentahydrate copper sulfate (CuSO4·5H2O), a blue solid. Its aqueous solution appears blue due to hydrated copper ions, making anhydrous copper sulfate a common laboratory reagent for detecting water. Industrially, copper sulfate is used in copper refining and, when mixed with slaked lime, forms the pesticide Bordeaux mixture. As a heavy metal salt, copper sulfate is toxic, with a lethal dose of 0.9g/kg for adults. In case of accidental ingestion, immediate consumption of protein-rich foods like milk or egg whites, or the use of EDTA calcium disodium salt as an antidote, is advised.(Source: Wikipedia)
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS6/ 6976380. shtml#ixzz1pkshNzMK
Heavy Metal in Feed: Toxic Pigs and Chickens Spread across Taiwan
March 21, 2012, 8:08 PM
8 Companies Including Taoyuan Chang Hsin Involved—EPA and Prosecutors Conduct 12 Raids
Following the lean meat powder and highly pathogenic avian flu incidents, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and law enforcement officers conducted 12 raids on March 19 at Taoyuan Chang Hsin Industrial Co. and its seven affiliated companies. They discovered heavy metals such as copper sulfate being mixed into feed for pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese. Authorities strongly suspect that livestock and poultry fed with heavy metal-contaminated feed may have already entered markets across Taiwan.
EPA Minister Shen Shih-hung stated this morning that Chang Hsin’s copper-containing waste liquid treatment plant and its affiliates currently process over 3,000 metric tons of waste copper liquid per month, accounting for 40% of Taiwan’s total waste copper sulfate liquid volume, making it the largest copper sulfate processor in the country. Prosecutors are investigating three key aspects: first, collaborating with the Council of Agriculture to determine how many pigs and chickens consumed heavy metals and their distribution channels.
Estimated Illegal Profits Exceed NT$100 Million
Additionally, authorities are working with the Industrial Development Bureau to track the disposal of copper sulfate and whether it was illegally exploited. The EPA is also investigating how long the company has used legal operations to mask illegal activities and the extent of illicit profits. Apart from criminal liability, the company will face confiscation of illegal gains. Shen Shih-hung noted that the exact penalty amount is still being calculated but is preliminarily estimated to range from tens of millions to over NT$100 million.
Shen stated that the EPA received a tip in December 2011, and after multiple communications with the whistleblower, further details were uncovered. On the morning of March 19, the EPA’s Environmental Inspection Corps and Northern Environmental Inspection Division mobilized 47 inspectors, alongside Taoyuan District Prosecutors, Criminal Investigation Brigade officers, and environmental police—totaling 144 personnel—to conduct simultaneous raids at 12 locations, including Chang Hsin’s headquarters, its copper waste liquid treatment plant, Luzhu Plant, Dayuan Plant, Dayuan Plant I, Chang Yuan Hsing Chemical Co.’s Hsinchu Plant, and Cheng Liang Resources Recycling Co., among seven affiliated companies.
The operation uncovered two cases of environmental crimes involving improper disposal of industrial waste, one violation of the Air Pollution Control Act, four violations of the Water Pollution Control Act, seven violations of the Waste Disposal Act, and one violation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act. A total of 52 samples were collected.
Shen emphasized that Chang Hsin and its affiliates failed to truthfully report production capacity as required by waste disposal laws. Some of the waste liquids received were illegally transferred to unlicensed processors or dumped into the environment by transport vehicles, posing environmental hazards. These actions violate administrative criminal penalties, and the company will face heavy fines for illicit gains.
Farmers Report: Chickens Acted Strangely After Eating Feed
Farmers near Taoyuan’s Luzhu Township noticed abnormal behavior in their chickens after consuming feed late last year. Anonymous whistleblowers also reported unscrupulous businesses selling industrial-grade copper sulfate—used in dyes and printing inks—to feed manufacturers, who mixed it into animal feed for illegal profits.
News Glossary / Copper Sulfate
Copper sulfate, chemical formula CuSO4, appears as a white powder or pale gray-green due to impurities. It is a soluble copper salt, commonly found in crystalline form as pentahydrate copper sulfate (CuSO4·5H2O), a blue solid. Its aqueous solution appears blue due to hydrated copper ions, making anhydrous copper sulfate a common laboratory reagent for detecting water. Industrially, copper sulfate is used in copper refining and, when mixed with slaked lime, forms the pesticide Bordeaux mixture. As a heavy metal salt, copper sulfate is toxic, with a lethal dose of 0.9g/kg for adults. In case of accidental ingestion, immediate consumption of protein-rich foods like milk or egg whites, or the use of EDTA calcium disodium salt as an antidote, is advised.(Source: Wikipedia)
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS6/ 6976380. shtml#ixzz1pkshNzMK